Additive hazards regression model

[SusanneWB]

I want to use an additive hazards regression model (e.g. Aalen's model) instead of Cox regression, since my data shows non-proportional hazards.

Can anyone tell if there is a simple way to do this in SAS?

-Thanks.

[sbxkoenk]

Hello @SusanneWB ,

You can visit :
https://www.lexjansen.com/

(Lex Jansen is a former colleague of mine, consultant from SAS in the pharma industry)

(LexJansen site contains papers from proceedings from SAS conferences worldwide)

Then enter as search terms :

• Aalen OR
• additive hazards
  

and hit enter.

You will get some useful papers from SAS conferences from the past.

See also the SAS documentation, ... for example these links :

• SAS/STAT 15.2 User's Guide
  The LIFETEST Procedure
  https://go.documentation.sas.com/doc/en/pgmsascdc/9.4_3.5/statug/statug_lifetest_details25.htm
  See "Aalen Estimator" and "theory of counting processes (Aalen 1978)"
• SAS/STAT 15.2 User's Guide
  The QUANTLIFE Procedure
  Nelson-Aalen-Type Estimator for Censored Quantile Regression
  https://go.documentation.sas.com/doc/en/pgmsascdc/9.4_3.5/statug/statug_quantlife_details03.htm

Cheers,

Koen

[SusanneWB]

Thanks a lot for the information. I will look at it.

Can I confirm then that Aalen's model and other cox alternatives have not yet been added to any SAS procedure, so I will need a macro?

[sbxkoenk]

Hello,

I cannot confirm that.

There are many alternatives to the COX PH model in the form of a procedure.

Or in the form of a SAS Studio task (behind these tasks, there are procedures of course).

See here :
SAS/STAT Software -- Focus area : Survival Analysis

https://support.sas.com/rnd/app/stat/procedures/SurvivalAnalysis.html

(remark the SAS/STAT QUANTLIFE Procedure is missing in the list)

SAS Studio 5.2 Task Reference
Nonparametric Survival Analysis

https://go.documentation.sas.com/doc/en/webeditorcdc/5.2/webeditorref/p1m818udlmyp8xn12i6lyep6u21a.h...

Cheers,

Koen

[SusanneWB]

Thanks again.

I'm very interested in Aalen's additive hazard regression model. Can you also tell if this specific method is available in a procedure?

[sbxkoenk]

Hello,

The pure and full

<< Aalen's additive hazard regression model >>

is NOT available in a SAS procedure.

You will need a macro (there are some on internet).
Personally I would program it with SAS / IML (interactive matrix language).

Do you know the SAS matrix language? Very powerful and easy-to-use.
There's also a matrix language board under the Analytics header in these SAS communities if you need help using PROC IML (or the IML action set in PROC CAS).

Thanks,

Koen

[SusanneWB]

Thanks a lot for the answer.

Then I will search for a macro or try with the SAS matrix language (which I have to get familiar with).

[FcoAVC]

I think SAS should add alternative models for proportional hazards. We could open a ballot suggesting these other models:

- Aalen, O.O. 1989. A linear regression model for the analysis of life times. Statist. Med. 8: 907-925.

- Lin, D. Y. and Ying, Z. (1994). Semiparametric analysis of the additive risk model. Biometrika 81, 61–
71.

- J. Buckley, I. James, Linear regression with censored data, Biometrika 66 (1979) 429-436.

[Ksharp]

Maybe @StatDave  knew it .